Paul's monkey wrench
by Mimi'sRuger-9
Summary: Paul left for school two years ago after the vampire threat was finally resolved. Now he's returning home, thinking everything will have returned to normal. But while he was away, something happened that no one could have forseen and it's about to throw a wrench right in the middle of his life.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything

There it was, that damn sign. The battered sign welcoming him back to hell. Being away had felt so good and he was trying to remember what exactly had caused him to return. One day he just got it in his mind that it was time, there was nothing holding him in Idaho anymore. Paul had been away at school for two years. I know, Paul Lahote and school didn't exactly seem to belong in the same sentence, but it was true. He'd gone to a trade school for contracting, and apprenticed with a local contractor who taught him everything he could. The license would be useful on the Rez with all the houses that were falling apart. It had taken some serious finagling by Sam to persuade the elders to let him go, he had to convince them that the leech problem was under control enough that they could handle it without Paul, their best fighter. He had loved every damn second of it. But now school was done, and the little voice in the back of his head was telling him it was time to go home.

Paul's huge black truck rumbled to a stop in front of an all too familiar house. The tiny, scarred form of Emily emerged from the house looking confused but realization quickly dawned and her face split into a huge smile.

"It's about damn time you came home!" she held her arms out for a hug that Paul happily obliged. "Welcome back, we missed you."

"Yeah, like you miss a venereal disease." a deep voice chuckled from the side of the house. Sam stood leaning against the yellow siding, grinning.

"Like you'd know man, weren't you a virgin when you and Em got together?"

"Were you ever a virgin?" Paul let out a bark like laugh and Sam and Emily walked him into the house.

"It really is good to see you again; honestly things have gotten boring around here without you." Emily let out an unladylike snort and set down a plate of chocolate muffins and cookies, Sam gave her a look but Paul didn't seem to notice, he was busy shoving muffin into his mouth.

"So, are you going to put that fancy new education to work with us?" Sam asked through a mouthful of cookie. "We could always use an extra pair of hands, and it pays pretty good, things have turned around here." Paul listened as Sam explained about the costruction jobs the pack was doing around the Rez. It didn't seem to be the same as when he'd left but an actual legitimate business. Paul agreed to join them and lend his new found wisdom, and they spent the next few hours talking about his time away. He spared them the more in depth details however. After a while he decided to head home and after Sam handing over the keys to his house, and Emily a box of cookies, muffins and some sandwiches "Until you get to the grocery store" he loaded back into his truck.

Paul's house was nothing special, at least to most people, but it was his. The only thing his father had ever given him. After learning of Paul's role as protector, Joshua Lahote had returned from wherever the hell he'd been for the majority of Paul's life, wanting to return as if he'd been away on business. Of course neither Paul nor his mother wanted anything to do with him, they didn't need him. Anne, his mother, had her own bakery at that point and Paul was working with the rest of the pack doing construction and repairs around the Rez. It hadn't been as lucrative as it seemed it was now but it was a job. As his only act as a real father, Joshua had given Paul the house he'd used to own. It was slightly run down but after a few weeks of work Paul had managed to make it quite livable. There was a decent kitchen and bathroom, laundry and cable and a loft that served as Paul's bedroom, for him it worked great.

He dropped his duffel bags in the living room deciding he'd worry about the rest tomorrow, and trudged up the stairs. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out. That night his dreams were filled with strange images of the forest, and the sounds of someone gasping for breath and screaming out in pain.

Paul woke early the next morning, the sun wasn't fully up yet and everything was a steely blue grey, and silent. He stretched on his front porch and threw himself into the tree's surrounding his house. Phasing in mid air, he landed and ran through the forest he'd been away from for so long. The dark, slightly damp earth felt great under his paws and the smell of the trees seemed to revive him. A small part of him was wondering why he'd left in the first place. He launched over a stream and pushed himself faster. This was what he lived for, the wind whipping through his fur and the dirt giving so easily under his claws, if he could stay like this forever, he would. Nothing and no one to worry about, living on his own, even catching his own food didn't bother him. But something in the back of his head told him 'no, you must be with your pack, you've been away too long already'. Nearing the Canadian border he decided to turn around and that's when he felt the presence of another wolf.

'Alright, who's out there?'

'O_h fuck my life, Paul? What the hell are you doing here?' _It was Leah, great. Suddenly the idea of living like a wild animal sounded like a solid plan again.

'_I happen to live here Leah, got a problem with that?' _he could feel their presence getting closer.

_'Actually yeah.' _Seth snapped. '_We do. Why the hell are you out here? We're patrolling this morning. Go home.' _What the hell was up his ass? Paul had never heard Seth that agitated. Leah yeah of course, but Seth? He had the disposition of a fucking care bear.

_'I'm just out for a run; don't get your shit in a twist.' _He was coming up on them in a clearing, and slowed down as he passed through the last of the thick heavy trees. Leah's pale grey form was laying rigid on a boulder to his left, glaring down at him. Seth stood tall in the middle but it almost didn't look like him. The last time Paul had seen him, the younger boy had been exactly that in his wolf form. He'd been long and gangly, with paws too big for his body making it all too obvious that he was in the middle of puberty. It seemed now that he had finished. He was smaller than Paul only by an inch or two and in human form he could see it would be the same story. His body seemed to have filled out a lot in just the two years. He, unlike Collin and Brady, had been thought to be done growing…apparently not.

'_What the fuck do you want Paul?' _Leah snapped_, 'Seth told you, we're patrolling this morning.'_

_'Yeah, you two look like you're working hard today. I thought the leech threat was over, why are you patrolling?' _Leah huffed_._

_'Just because the leeches are gone doesn't mean they can't come back. It's strictly protocol. Now again-'_

_'Oh cut the bitch shit Leah, I told you I'm out for a run, not trying to squeeze in on your sibling bonding time, Christ!' _ He turned to make his way out of the clearing, heading back to the Rez when he smelled it, cedar. Normally it wouldn't matter to him, except for the fact that there were no cedar in these woods, he would know. They'd spent half of the year before he'd left going over every inch of it…no cedar.

'_What is that?' _he asked to no one in particular as he sniffed the air_. 'That is definitely not supposed to be here'_

_'Funny, just like you.' _Leah grumbled, but he wasn't listening, he continued to follow the scent until it directed him to a particularly large tree on the edge of the clearing. He looked up just in time to see someone, or _something_ jump from a topmost branch and practically fly out of the clearing. It landed with no sound and began sprinting towards the Rez. There was only one thing that was that light on it's feet and only one thing, apart from the pack that was that fast

_'Leech._' Paul growled, and he was off. He barely even noticed Seth and Leah chasing after him, until they started yelling for him to stop.

'_Dude you don't know what you're doing!_' Seth yelled in his mind, '_You can't do this, stop!_'

'_What the fuck are you talking about? In case you forgot, this is what we're built for._' he chuckled and he pushed himself further, finally catching up with the creature. It was fast, really fast but it didn't seem to move like the leeches he'd been forced to work with before. It used the trees and land to propel itself further rather than just gliding over everything like the Cullen's did. But none of this seemed to register as he continued to chase, faintly realizing they had crossed the treaty line.

'_Oh yeah, you're screwed now leech, big mistake._' It hurtled over a fallen tree, and Leah growled.

'_Shit, Paul quit chasing her you jack ass!_' he ignored Leah's demand.

'_Fuck it, Leah we'll have to take him down._'

'_What is wrong with you two? What the fuck is going-'_ but they both barreled into him just as he had launched himself onto the thing, claws first. There was no satisfying sound of ripping metal, just the feeling of claws through flesh; the intruders and his own. It took both of them, but Leah and Seth managed to hurl him through three trees and an angry looking bush onto the clear side of the tree line.

'_Son of a bitch'_ Paul groaned as he tried to find his feet. But before he could get up there was a sudden blow to his temple, and everything went dark. Voices mingled together, he thought he heard Sam and Seth yelling at each other, then a momentary silence he could feel his body returning to its human form.

"Damnit, now why did you have to hit him?" Sam asked sounding exasperated.

"He ripped my favorite shirt."


	2. Chapter 2

His head was throbbing, his body ached like it never had before and he couldn't open his eyes. So he settled for a pathetic groan of pain and tried to sit up but he was pushed lightly back.

"Sam, he's waking up. Get your ass in here." It was Emily, he felt a hand on his face and one of his eye were opened, his vision was incredibly blurry.

"Good I can kick his ass." He heard the door slam open and heavy footsteps coming closer.

"Oh no you don't. You don't get to kick any asses, this is your fault." Emily sounded stern, like she sounded if you disturbed her while cooking.

"My fault?! How is this my fault? He's the shit for brains who attacked her with no warning!"

"That's your fault dumbass!" She never cussed, she must really be pissed. "If you had told him when it happened or I don't know, anytime in the year since it happened, he might not have reacted like that! What the hell was he supposed to think? Some woman jumps eighty feet out of a tree and takes off running at superhuman speed, what the hell would you think Sam?"

"Alright, I get it okay? He's still a shit head. Seth and Leah told him not to chase her and he didn't listen."

"He barely listens to you Sam." Emily dead panned. "You have to tell him now, I know you were waiting until the bonfire so the elders could tell him but…" she cut off with a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry. You don't need me yelling at you, it's a fucked up situation as it is"

"That's it," Paul grumbled from his position on the bed "Someone better start talking, right fucking now." He tried to sit up again.

"Take it slow, you're gonna be sore." Sam instructed, holding Paul's elbow and guiding him to a sitting position. Slowly his vision started to return, going from incredibly blurry to moderately so.

"Yeah, I'm curious about that. Why exactly am I sore? It's been years since I've felt this bad." He felt a glass being pushed into his hand and his eyesight moved from moderate to the kind of blur you have right after waking up. He drank some water.

"Well when you get jumped three pack members at once, you tend to not feel too good afterwards. What the fuck were you thinking dumbass?" Paul growled, he didn't like being talked to like that, especially with no explanation. He felt something peel from his head and he winced.

"It's an ice pack, you had some swelling." Emily explained. Vision almost back to normal.

"So again, what happened? Why the hell did Seth and Leah jump me like that?" he looked to Sam whose facial features were only slightly smudged now, but Sam seemed to be struggling with himself. They stared at each other for a good thirty seconds. "Well?" Still no answer. Emily re-entered the room with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt in hand.

"When you can get up put some clothes on, we've got a bonfire to get to." And she was gone again. Paul grabbed the clothes and started to try and swing his legs out of bed.

"Sam, are you gonna fucking talk or what? I want to know what the hell happened right the fuck now." Sam looked up at Paul and considered him for a moment before finally opening his mouth.

"Go get cleaned up, you heard Em, we've got a bonfire." He stood to leave the room but stopped in the doorway. "You'll get your answers there."

Paul finally managed to get to the bathroom, the soreness dissipating slowly. He examined himself in the mirror, grimacing at the state of his arms and chest. It was nothing serious, just dozens of pink scars all over and he could see them already vanishing. After a shower during which he watched a dozen pine needles and some tree bark swirl down the drain, he dressed and joined Sam and Emily in the living room.

"So you going to tell me now?" he demanded of Sam as they exited the house.

"I told you, you'll find out at the bonfire." Emily was glaring straight ahead pointedly refusing to even touch Sam…that had to hurt. They walked to the beach, seeing as it wasn't far away and as soon as they arrived Emily disappeared into the group of people. Sam wandered off, mumbling something about needing to talk to someone. Paul didn't care, he just wanted answers...and a beer, yeah that sounded good. After snagging a beer from a cooler (knowing full well it wouldn't do anything, he just liked the taste) he stood back from the crowd and surveyed.

"Hey, the gimp is up and at 'em!" a hand clapped his shoulder and Paul turned to find his best friend Jared, beaming at him.

"Hey man, what's up?" they hugged and pounded each other's backs. "It's good to see you. How you been?"

"Better than you I hear. Got your ass nailed this morning huh? Sounds like you're losing your touch bro." Jared took a pull off his beer and grinned at Paul, who punched his arm cheerfully.

"Fuck off. Something happened around here and Sam's being cryptic as fuck and won't tell me what." Jared's shrugged.

"Yeah well…that's a hard one." He didn't elaborate, just continued to survey the crowd. Paul's eyes landed on Seth and Leah standing on the other side of the fire laughing. Leah looked a hundred times better than she did last he'd seen her in her human form. She'd cut her hair into a more attractive a-line, way better than the angry hack job she'd been sporting before. Seth was well, different. Just as he'd expected, he'd about doubled in size. He was more broad chested and filled out than Paul would have thought possible for such a gangly kid. He seemed much older than eighteen, like he'd done a lot of growing up in a small amount of time. He watched as Sam walked up to them and they seemed to tense up, he was talking calmly but Leah looked about to hit him. Paul tried to listen in but Jared had started talking again.

"So hey, you wanna hit Port Angeles with me Saturday? I know it's not like your college town but I swear some great tail has moved into town this summer." He gave Paul a sly grin, Paul couldn't help but laugh at his friend.

"Yeah that sounds good." He looked back at Sam and the Clearwater's; they seemed to be arguing now.

"Hey, what's going-." But Sue Clearwater called for everyone to join her around the fire to listen to the legends. Neither moved from their spots but drank more beer and listened in anyway as was expected of them.

"The legend of the hybrid," began Sue, "Is an old one, a tale almost lost to us." Paul vaguely remembered this one. "The legend tells us of a warrior that will bring about the end of the cold ones in our lands. A warrior not of our tribe, nor of any tribe. Not born but made. A warrior in a form no one could have foreseen." her voice was steady, as it always was when she told the stories. "In the woods one day, a girl waited for her wolves to return. She always waited in the woods. Unbeknownst to her, the protectors were chasing a cold one across our borders, it had slipped past them in pursuit of her blood, for it sang to it. Though they chased it, the cold one found the girl in her clearing and attacked. It toyed with her, tortured her and attempted to drink from her. The protectors found her just in time, and were able to destroy the monster, but the girl was all but lost to them. She was bleeding from many wounds and had gone cold and blue."

Suddenly the images Paul had seen all through his dreams the night before flashed across his mind, a faceless girl trying to breath through the blood in her lungs, mere inches from death.

"A young protector stepped forward, desperate to comfort her. He curled around the girls dying form and cleaned her wounds, in an attempt to ease her passing. By no less than a miracle she survived, though she slept for many days, and was in such pain, nothing could ease her. When she finally woke, the girl was changed. A wolf had been bestowed upon her and the gods had blessed her with the golden eyes of a protector and twice the strength. Though her wolf stays on the inside, her purpose is clear. This warrior and her wolf are meant to rid the Quileute of the cold ones forever." Sue finished and he then noticed that a girl had come to kneel beside her. She held Sue's hand to her forehead and whispered gently in the native tongue, he really should pick up the language again. The raucous air of the bonfire returned and he watched the girl go back to Seth and Leah, Seth smiled and touched her chin. Paul was able to get a good look at her and he was instantly jealous of Seth. The girl he was currently touching was by far the most beautiful, Paul had ever seen. She was short, at least by pack standards only reaching about five foot seven with expanses of perfect tanned skin. Her long legs stuck out from a pair of tiny cut offs and her small flat midsection was displayed by the stomach bearing shirt she was wearing. It looked like an old football jersey. Her long dark auburn hair was pulled into a high ponytail that showed off a sleek neck and pretty face.

"You wanna be a bit more obvious?" Jared asked shoving another beer at his friend, snapping Paul out of his shameless ogling.

"Huh?"

"Dude, quit staring, you're gonna get your ass kicked…again."

"What, is she gonna do it?" Paul asked as he popped the top and drank.

"She could yeah, but I'm talking about Seth. He doesn't like when guys stare at her." Paul choked slightly on his beer. No way.

"Is that his imprint? Seriously?"

"No, well not exactly. But-."

"Then what's the problem? I'm looking not touching, that never did any harm to anyone."

"This is you we're talking about. I'm just trying to save your skin." Paul continued to watch the girl while she laughed with the siblings, her laugh was musical and it made him smile. Just then Leah spotted him looking and nudged her. The girl whipped her head around to him and the sight made Paul's stomach drop, he stopped breathing momentarily. Big golden eyes looked directly into his and stared him down coolly. A tan chest blocked his view mere seconds after their eyes met, Seth had stood in front of the girl glaring over at Paul.

"I'm telling you, quit while you're ahead man."

"Are you sure, that's not his imprint? He seems pretty damn protective of her."

"Positive." Sam answered as he walked up beside the two. "So Paul did you get your answer?" Sam nodded towards Seth who seemed to have ushered the two women away towards the trees before making his way to Sam.

"Not really, I'm still curious why you couldn't just tell me this before. Big deal I was attacked by a mutant chick." Jared shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"She's not a mutant." Seth growled crossing his arms, he glared at Paul.

"Sounds like it, but if you say so pup." He barely had to look down at all anymore.

"Just stay away Lahote, I'm serious. Keep away from Bella she's been through enough shit and she doesn't need your ass bothering her." Paul nearly howled with laughter

"Bella? Bella Swan? Now what the hell would I want to bug the leech lo-." Jared elbowed him in the side.

"Seth you know they can't be separated forever, they'll have to patrol together eventually."

"Wait what? Swan is patrolling? What do you do use her as bait?" Seth growled.

"Paul, as my second in command I know you are not this stupid." Sam said exasperated.

"Yeah he is."

"What the fuck is going on?" he seemed to be asking this question a lot today, it was getting old. "What are you talking about?" no one spoke for a moment, but Jared broke the silence.

"Look at her dumbass," he pointed to the unnamed girl standing with Leah. "Look like anyone you know…or hate?" Paul looked at her; she was standing defiantly with her arms crossed just outside the trees. They locked eyes, both staring the other down. A force seemed to make them both stagger.

"Holy shit, fucking Swan?!"

"Yes," said Seth getting back into his face. "Like I said, stay away from her." He turned and made his way to Bella, Paul still trying to piece everything together. Seth flicked Leah's nose and she giggled then kissed the top of Bella's hair, and they all disappeared into the shadows.

"What the fuck is going on around here?" Paul demanded. Sam and Jared walked him further away from the crowd, they sat on a log while he paced. "How the hell did this happen Sam? The leech lover is part of the pack now, are you shitting me?" Sam continued to watch him pace while Paul kept spouting random expletives. He knew Paul was no fan of Bella, she had slapped him once and technically she kind of was the reason for most of their shifting. But he figured that the couple years away would simmer his anger towards the girl…apparently he'd been wrong, very wrong.

"Are you done?" Paul was still pacing but he said nothing. "What exactly don't you get? The legend was pretty clear."

"How the hell does something like this happen? You can't just turn someone into a shifter, Sam that's insane!" Sam seemed to consider Paul for a moment.

"DNA. Seth cleaned her wounds, like we do after a marking." Paul scoffed at the idea. "Our DNA can heal a wound and he just wanted her to die in as little pain as possible, she's his step-sister after all. He had no idea what it would do, there was no way _to_ know. We concluded it was something in her blood, you remember how she said her blood sang to Edward way back when? It's some kind of blood mutation she has." Paul was baffled.

"Okay, so Seth slobbers all over the lee- Swan and _infects _her with shifter DNA. Is that why Seth gets his dick in a twist over her?" Sam gave him a stern look, but answered anyway.

"Yes, by sharing his DNA a connection was formed between the two of them. It's something like an imprint but there's only a familial bond, nothing romantic at all. While she was out, Seth and Leah barely left her side, until he started going into something of a second phase. When she finally woke up and she was changed, so was he. They're like a creator and his creation; he's very protective of her." Paul's head felt heavy under all the information. '_You asked for it dumbass.'_

_"_This is great. I'm gone a couple of years and shit gets turned on its ear. The former leech lover mutates into some pack super warrior, Seth becomes some kind of guard dog…"

"You get your ass kicked." Jared supplied. That was it.

"Fuck this I'm going home. I need to sleep on this shit." With that, hands shoved in his pockets Paul shuffled back to his house, his mind still reeling from all the information. It took him much longer to fall asleep this time than it had the night before. He tossed and turned, unable to shake strange images from his mind. He dreamed of the screams of a girl in excruciating pain and the gold eyes that had made him freeze. He woke in a cold sweat and punched his pillow. Fucking leech lover.


End file.
